NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are today’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Tampa Bay Lightning (26-13-3) at Philadelphia Flyers (22-18-8)
Lightning (-160) at Flyers (+135) Total 5.5 (Over, -130)
7 p.m. ET
The Tampa Bay Lightning come to Philadelphia for not one but two games (Saturday and Monday). The Bolts have the NHL’s longest current win streak, winners of eight games in a row. The Flyers are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to Toronto. They have won 13 of 18 games this season following a loss, but it’s hard for me to get in the way of this Lightning freight train, and the Flyers have struggled at home as an underdog (3-7) as opposed to when they are a home favorite (9-3). Add to that, the Flyers are going with Samuel Ersson in goal, and he has lost five of his last six starts.
I am also on the Over 5.5 goals. The line has moved to 6 in many spots, and I am still good with Over six combined goals in this game. Thanks to some great research from my good friend Ian Cameron (@bobanobets), he shares that Flyers games are 8-1 to the Over when scoring one goal or less following a loss. Six of the nine games have had seven goals or more, two of them have six goals, and the game that did not go Over the total had five goals.
A couple of player props for me. Tampa’s Darren Raddysh has points in four straight and five of the last seven games (all two points or more). Raddysh has also had three shots on goal or more in eight of his last 11 games. Nikita Kucherov has registered two or more points in seven straight and 16 of his last 21 games.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Darren Raddysh Over 1.5 pts +480 – .25 units
Darren Raddysh Over 2.5 shots on goal +182 – .25 units
Nikita Kucherov Over 1.5 pts +112 – .25 units
Tampa Bay Lightning/Philadelphia Flyers Over 6 (-110) – 2 units
New York Islanders (24-15-5) at Minnesota Wild (26-11-8)
Islanders (+135) at Wild (-160) – Total 5.5 (Over, -120)
8 p.m. ET
We have a “Malinsky Special” tonight as the Wild return home after a seven-game, 13-day road trip. This from Minnesota goalie, Jesper Wallstedt, “I just want to sleep in my own bed and play computer games.” Others like veteran Marcus Foligno talk about the excitement of seeing his three kids and giving his wife a break. That is not a team (Minnesota) that I want to be betting on. No need to overthink this game. It’s all about playing the Islanders, first period money line, scoring the game’s first goal, and winning the game.
A couple of player props. Minnesota has the NHL’s worst penalty kill on home ice, so I will jump on Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer for a power play point. Thirteen of Schaefer’s 29 points this season have come on the power play. His teammate, Tony DeAngelo, has 10 points in 14 career games against the Wild and has cashed his shots on goal prop (Over 1.5) in each of his last five games against Minnesota.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Matthew Schaefer power play point (+400) – .10 units
Tony DeAngelo Over ½ point (+180) – .10 units
Tony DeAngelo Over 1.5 shots on goal (-130) – 1 unit
New York Islanders 1stperiod Money Line (+130) – 1 unit
New York Islanders to score 1stgoal of the game (+110) – 1 unit
New York Islanders full game Money Line (+135) – 1 unit
